Quasi-endless flexible LED lighting strips, which consist of a contiguous series of strip-shaped standard circuit boards or standard circuit board sections (‘lighting modules’) and can be separated at defined intervals between two lighting modules (e.g. every 200 mm), are known. Each LED lighting strip typically features a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on its upper side. Such LED lighting strips are known from the LINEARLight range produced by OSRAM, for example. A problem relating to LED lighting strips is characterized in that any extension of a lighting strip by means of concatenating two lighting modules is associated with an increase in the interval (pitch interval) between the LEDs that are arranged at both ends near to the plug connector; this results in an uneven illumination. The exposure of the electrical contacts at a separation point can also be troublesome.
LED lighting devices in which an LED lighting strip is inserted into a longitudinally strip-shaped U-profile and then completely encapsulated by a transparent encapsulating material are also known. An LED lighting strip encapsulated thus has the advantage of being protected against various environmental influences.
LED lighting devices in which an LED lighting strip is inserted into a strip-shaped C-profile and then completely encapsulated by a transparent encapsulating material are also known. The lighting strip is thus protected against UV radiation and other environmental influences, but implementation is resource-intensive and unsuitable for large lengths.
Various embodiments address the problem of providing a particularly simple and robust means of contacting lighting strips that can be prepared.